What are the Benefits of Copyright Registration in India?

In India, the duplicity of innovative work is very common for ages. Most of the infringement acts to avoid the strict provision due to the absence of Copyright protection. Copyright^[1] is a type of IP or Intellectual Property, and it is represented by the ©. You might have seen the copyright term millions of times, especially in the movies or songs, along with a declaration declaring the infringement provisions. These days, you can see the symbol of Copyright on a wide array of tangible items such as blogs, paintings, software, etc. Copyright violation is not only restricted to the areas mentioned above, but it has also been plagued with different corporate and society across the world. Copyright Registration protects your valuable assets against illegal or unauthorized access. Scroll down to check the benefits of Copyright Registration in India.

What is a Copyright?

Before we discuss the benefits of Copyright Registration, let us first understand the term Copyright. Copyright is an exclusive right that prevents other individuals from using your creation without your permission. For the Copyright Registration, you need to file an application with the Copyright Office that defines your identity and works with other people. If some unauthorized person uses your registered work, you can get legal damages from the court.

The procedure for Copyright Registration permits the Copyright owner of an exclusive right in the copyrighted work to register the work with the office of Copyright. This registration is voluntary and may be effected at any point the work is still safeguarded by Copyright. The registration of a Copyright is available for both unpublished and published work. Although registration is not essential to establish the Copyright protection for creative work, when correctly registered, the owner is provided with extra lawful protection that surpasses the time and cost of such registration.

Benefits of Copyright Registration in India

Following is the list of all the benefits of Copyright Registration in detail:

• Provides Legal Protection: There are some other benefits that Copyright Registration renders under the Copyright law. This registration safeguards the original work which is published from unauthorized access that ultimately ended up in duplicity. With the registration, users or owners cannot exercise any legal proceedings to claim the proprietorship for the infringed asset.

Whether it is releasing a book title or producing a film, this registration is an absolute necessity for those who desire to protect their valuable assets from unauthorized access.  It is one of the projecting benefits of Copyright Registration in India.

• Protection Reputation: By avoiding illegal access, registration makes sure that the safety of the asset and increases the reputation of a company over time. For example, a music composer with Copyright Registration in place can safeguard their work from being copied or misused in any way that results in deprivation of the reputation.
• Informing the Public about the Ownership: The original work which is copyrighted once filled will be published in the catalogue of the Copyright Office. The same will be searchable by the general public. The catalogue of the Copyright does safeguard the work. It not only informs the public that the individual owns the work but also helps in avoiding any innocent infringements.
• Prevention of Monetary Loss: There are certain benefits of Copyright Registration for the original creator of the work. One of the guaranteed benefits of Copyright Registration is restricting losses increasing from the duplicity of the work. Further, Copyright Infringement is call piracy.

Most of the population in India is familiar with such a word as it is frequently used in tandem with tangible items such as DVDs and books. Piracy has become an important concern to the creators or publishers as it being held responsible for huge monetary losses in the previous. Now the new titles of DVD are available on the torrent where anyone can illegally download them without paying any money.

• Control over Infringer: The registration of Copyright provides good control over infringers. Now the Copyright owner does not have to chase out the infringers by addressing different legal formalities. With the special jurisdiction in place, the Copyright owners can file a suit against their registered workplace’s illegal activities.
• No Repetitive Fees or Renewal: The validity of Copyright Registration is for lifetime validity, which means the owner of a copyrighted work doesn’t need to pay the renewal fees for the registration. But, the individual needs to approach the Copyright Registrar every time the owner made some changes in the assets’ particulars.
• Promotes Creativity: Perhaps one of the crucial benefits of Copyright Registration is that it encourages creativity and innovation. For example, an IT company can spend many dollars on developing an innovative program. With Copyright Registration at the clearance, the company can concentrate on vital areas and gain long-term profitability by avoiding chances of Copyright infringement. The same is also applicable to publisher houses and music industries.
• Holds Some Distinct Value: Other benefits of Copyright Registration is that it provides the inference that a particular work holds some distinct value. There is no denying that such registration is the best way of protecting original work against violations. As soon as you obtain the Copyright Registration Certificate, the issuance expert set up a public record of your claim. It assists you to prove ownership and gives you the power to sue the infringers. Since Copyright Registration promotes creativity and innovation, it permits many artists or creators to preserve their work in a legal guard.

Importance of Copyright Registration

Following are some points demonstrating the importance of Copyright Registration:

1. It creates the presumption of proprietorship, which assist the owner;
2. Registering the Copyright with the concerned issuance authority can improve the value of created original work;
3. Copyright Registration permits the owners to confront legal damages, suit cost, and attorney fees;
4. It is essential to attain Copyright Registration in case the work holds noteworthy value and have the potential to create some money over time;
5. It also creates a presumption of proprietorship, which assists the owner to take some lawful action against the infringers to accuse of infringing the property.

Conclusion

Copyright registration in India renders numerous benefits to the person apart from safeguarding the valuable asset against unauthorized access. It encourages creativity and assists the creator to protect their original work from infringers. The creator can also sue the infringers for the infringement without searching out for a settlement. The issuance body has offered every shield to the creator resource to put a better fight against infringements.

Also, Read: Copyright (Amendment) Rules 2021: A Complete Guide